Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who also held gold at 185 pounds, has a message for MMA fighters unhappy with their current pay structure.
UFC won’t pay you fairly unless you make them.
That’s the title of his new essay for Wealthsimple Magazine, where “Rush” peels back the curtain on his own negotiations with the world’s preeminent combat sports promotion.
St-Pierre made just $9,000 for his first title fight against Matt Hughes at UFC 50, compared to the $10 million he made against Michael Bisping at UFC 217 more than 13 years later.
It helps to be the “king” of pay-per-view buys — and “athlete of the year.”
“After I won the championship in 2008, I took a big gamble on myself and told UFC I was not going to re-sign with them,” St-Pierre said (via MMA Junkie). “And then, the day before my fight with Jon Fitch, the UFC came back with a big, crazy contract because they didn’t want me to become a free agent. You read I made $400,000 a match? No. I made a lot more than that. A lot more than that. Millions. When I was at the peak of my career, I was making many millions of dollars.”
A Khabib Nurmagomedov super fight would have likely been his highest payout to date.
St-Pierre, 40, recently retired from combat sports in an effort to preserve his physical and mental health. So with nothing to lose, “Rush” is making an effort to help the next generation of fighters — and even some battle-hardened veterans — get what they deserve.
That includes former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who shares the success of St-Pierre inside the cage, but doesn’t have the benefit of an expired contract to force the promotion’s hand.
Which is why “Bones” has been benched until further notice.